Our review on Humminbird Helix 5

The good

You will appreciate how easy the color display is to read, along with its split screen functionality that allows you to see exactly what is in the water.

With the dual sonar beams and up to 60 degrees of coverage the Helix 5 can accurately detect any fish in the area, along with obstacles and debris.

The bad

While the Helix 5 does come with a transducer mount it should be noted that it is a solid one piece model. Unlike ones designed to flip up, this mount is prone to breakage if it strikes an obstacle in the water. This is not a deal breaker and rarely happens since you do need to be traveling at a high rate of speed, but it is something you might want to consider.

The verdict

With the built in GPS you mark favorite fishing spots, manage routes and tracks, along with thousands of waypoints. You will always know exactly where you are going on the water, and it also makes it easier to get back to shore. Along with base maps the Helix 5 is also compatible with Humminbird LakeMaster charts and Navionics Gold and HotMaps. You will always know the best places to fish so every trip is one worth bragging about.

One of the best features of the Helix 5 is the bright color display. The horizontal screen is easy to read in almost any lighting which makes it great for early morning trips when the fish are often the most active. Along with displaying your direction you can also keep track of the water depth and your rate of speed, though it should be noted that the sonar is not accurate over 20 mph. The display also comes with split screen functionality so you can match the sonar images to the GPS map. This makes it easier for you to mark waypoints and hot spots, along with keeping track of your route.

Without a great sonar a fish finder is basically useless, which is why Humminbird ensured that the Helix 5 is able to detect everything in the water around it. The dual beam sonar is designed for use in deep and shallow water, and also comes with a wide cone angle. With 200 Khz you have a coverage of 20 degrees and a 60 degree angle with 83 Khz. This ensures that you can detect targets, along with any obstacles in the water. See the bottom contours, along with structures that fish like to hide in and since you can view it next to the map you can mark everything as you go. This way you can keep track of places that you might want to come back to in case there is nothing biting up ahead.